Christine Grimard
Northern News Services
Friday, February 19, 2007

YELLOWKNIFE - Behchoko Chief Leon Lafferty has brought forward safety concerns on the conditions of Highway 3 between Yellowknife and Behchoko.

Lafferty claims there is a different standard of road care between the Yellowknife and Rae-Edzo portion of Highway 3

Leon Lafferty

"To tell you the truth, I am totally disgusted with the department as they are concentrating all their efforts to Yellowknife and the Ingraham trail," wrote Lafferty in a letter to NWT Department of Transportation.

"Shortly we will be discussing a fatality and then we will see the department trying to cover it up or come up with creative excuses."

Lafferty is worried about excessive bumps along the highway, and a large amount of ice and scrap metal he has been clearing off the roads to try and make them safer.

"I shouldn't be doing their job for them," he said.

Despite what Lafferty has seen, Michael Conway, regional superintendent responsible for the area, said that highway maintenance has increased since last year.

Conway said that NWT Department of Transportation invested more than $20 million in improving Highway 3. Work on the highway included reducing the number of curves, widening the road, and smoothing the driving surface.

Conway also said that since last year, highway clearance has been expanded from five to seven days a week.

"Crews do watch for clearance, and they do dispose of debris," said Conway. Bob Kelly, Manager of Public Affairs and Communications for the department of transportation, said much of the conditions can be attributed to geological bad luck.

The route is built directly on the Canadian shield, over permafrost. As the permafrost melts it creates the wave-like pattern the road takes.

Kelly also said that the NWT Department of Transportation is not responsible for the maintenance of city roads. With limited resources, the portions of the highway with the greatest traffic will receive the most care.